Ryanair accused of duping British travellers with 'rip-off' exchange rates

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Ryanair has been accused of duping customers with “rip-off” exchange rates that mean British travellers pay more than their European counterparts for the same flight.

The low-cost airline has previously been criticised for using a £1/€1 rate for extras such as hold luggage and seat reservations, which means UK travellers pay more, but now the way it calculates the cost of fares for British cardholders flying from non-UK airports is under fire.

Ryanair, like other airlines, shows the cost of a flight in the currency of the departure airport’s country. However, an investigation by consumer group Which? found that when UK cardholders went to purchase the flight, the value charged in sterling amounted to a conversion well below market rate, skimming off pounds on every booking made by UK travellers.